Economic Policy

In conjunction with the Carnegie Endowment’s International Economics Program, the Moscow Center’s program monitors and analyses short- and long-term trends in the Russian economy, including macroeconomic developments, trade, commodities, and capital flows, and draws out policy implications for Russia and the post-Soviet space. The program also focuses on Russia’s integration into the global economy, with particular emphasis on trade, including in hydrocarbons and other commodities.

Russian banking system needs a supervisory authority independent of the central bank. Retail banks should be prohibited from investing in non-liquid assets, while the liquid securities market should be saved for investors

Dutch disease is a very common condition among resource-rich nations but its effects on the body of the economy, as well as the potential cure, are always country-specific. What would it take for Russia, both politically and economically, to wean itself off the hydrocarbon windfall?

Watching the drama of Russia’s private banks collapsing one by one naturally triggers fear: of more than 3,000 registered banks, about 2,600 have already lost their licenses. After the bailout of Otkritie and BIN, the government’s share in Russia’s banking system assets exceeds 80 percent. Fixing Russia’s banking system requires addressing the deep and systematic flaws in the central bank and the financial sector at large.

The Carnegie Moscow Center hosted a discussion on the changing global energy market at a time of abundant supply and high policy uncertainty, particularly in regards to American energy politics under the Trump administration.

Authors of more recent studies almost unanimously state that even though it’s unclear whether the resource curse generally menace on average over the group of resource-rich countries, it definitely threatens nations with weak institutions.

Achieving economic diversification in countries dependent on oil exports is a major challenge. Most diversification strategies have failed, and there are no examples of countries that have successfully managed to fully diversify away from oil.

Between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s, the Soviet Union’s economy was one of the most vibrant in the world. The country had successfully launched the first man into space and was competing with the United States in developing cutting-edge military technology. However, by the end of the 1980s, the economy was in a miserable state.